Crayons
by Tokoloshe Monster
Summary: There are stories, people and moments behind the crayons that colour their lives. These are those the quiet moments that won't get mentioned in the history books. Various pairings and people. For Caesar's Palace.


**A/N: No chronological order here. **

**I've had this computer for about two months, and thought I might as well post it.  
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**Enjoy. Or don't enjoy, I don't mind.  
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><p><strong>Crayons<strong>

( the stories behind their colours )

**oo1. Red [her cheeks] **

Associating red and blood has always been done through the ages. What a cliché. Although Katniss had seen see a lot blood in her lifetime – she _was _a hunger Games survivor (not a Victor, she never thinks of herself that way), and Games and Revolutions spark blood and death.

But when Katniss Everdeen saw some red, blood was only second on her list. Someone features higher.

Whenever she thinks of red, Rue jumps to mind. Rue and her innocent eyes, looking desperately at her with red cheeks. Her blush then faded into light brown as life left her body.

**oo2. Orange [his paint] **

Whenever he paints a sunset, there's a brilliant orange that makes the other colours on the canvas lose their vibrancy. The colour streaks across the sky that he made and falls on the grass he crafted, bathing everything in that warm glow that he loves.

Katniss rolls her eyes sometimes and argues; 'I once heard that someone said that a sunset is the saddest light there is,' and crosses her arms in amusement.

He replies that the end of a day is just the beginning of the night, and then the orange paint clinging to his fingers finds her skin.

**oo3. Yellow [their flames] **

When he makes a fire to sit by, its usually a fantastic bright yellow that illuminates the whole house.

Peeta Mellark is good at making the perfect fire; some would call him exceptional. Other people would make a joke about how the husband of the Girl on Fire is better at making them than she is. Like he hasn't heard _that_ quip a thousand times before.

But he is a baker, he can't deny that. He knows how to make a nice, steady fire to cook bread. And he knows how to fill the house with warm and comforting flames.

**oo4. Green [her nightmare] **

Annie Cresta knows that she should remember him with blood and gore and open hollow eyes, but whenever she thinks of the boy that was with her in the Arena, she can only think of green. Echoing in the moss on the rocks, the grass, in his eyes. The green is what scares her; that too bright almost unnatural colour that has become far too vivid with constant revisiting.

The funny thing is that she has green eyes too. Not bright and terrifying, but muted. They still scare her when she sees her reflection when she's unprepared, but she copes.

**oo5. Blue [her nails] **

Her nails were always a dark royal blue. It was her only luxury, which was a bit silly seeing that she was the mother of the rebellion leader. Money was never a problem, but she always made sure to spend her extra cash on medicines and remedies for customers too poor to pay for the healthcare themselves.

But Mrs Everdeen doessometimes allow herself some indulgence. Every two weeks she will paint her nails the same dark blue that she loved so dearly. She files them down to perfect crescents and crafts them very carefully, the only artwork she has.

**oo6. Purple [his flower] **

Gale would never ever admit that his favourite flower was a pansy – heck, he wouldn't even admit that he _had _a favourite flower. He was far too manly and rugged to appreciate things like flowers and cute cuddly wildlife. (He always made sure never to purposefully kill a baby or a mother, because even he had a heart, as shocking as that may seem.)

But still, when he found himself in the woods alone, he would smile to himself and bend over the bright flowers, sometimes smelling them, hoping that no-one would see him and his moments of unmanliness.

**oo7. Pink [her lips] **

The funny thing about Madge is the fact that her lips are always a brilliant pink but always seemingly a natural colour. Like she chewed her lips raw, and there is only one fragile layer of skin holding her blood inside of her body.

And Gale would sometimes stare in fascination, and wonder how she managed to have such pretty, full, pink lips. Surely she spent hours picking out the exact right shade of lipstick?

So maybe his fascination really had nothing to do with that. Maybe it was more of him wondering what they would feel like against him.

**oo8. Brown [his hair] **

One of Caesar Flickermann's best-kept secrets was about his hair. Throughout the ages thousands guessed and speculated about it, looking for a trace of a root or a flicker of something real under all his dye.

It was a well-kept secret. His contacts hid his eyes, colours obscured his hair, makeup painted his face. His mask was pretty and hid him well, so that he could be anyone he wanted to be when he spoke to Panem or joked with (dead) tributes or horrified, relieved winners.

But his hair was his well-kept secret. It was just a plain coffee brown.

**oo9. Black [her home]**

Coal caked every nook of Primrose Everdeen's home. She became comfortable with black dust sitting behind her ears and caught under her nails, it was a nice reminder that she still had a piece of who she was no matter what.

When she helped her mother deal with patients, perhaps one of the most reassuring things was the steady breathing of sort of healthy person. But when the person was dying and had erratic breaths, Primrose took comfort in the grime in the crevices of their kitchen table, knowing that the Capitol can't take away that tiny shred of belonging.

**o1o. White [him] **

Peeta is white. It had nothing to do with his skin – which is pretty tanned in most areas, and the parts that weren't browned were places that only Katniss was allowed to see, which thrilled her a bit more than it should – but it was rather just _him_ that was so pure. No matter what he did, Peeta Mellark would be snowy and white.

In comparison, she's a little muddy. A bit dirty – and that thrilled Peeta a bit more than it should, having a dirty wife – but they got along fine, just a bit different.

**o11. Grey [his eyes] **

Gale has Seam eyes. They were dark and stormy, just like him. Although his eyes matchs his personality, he never lets too much of himself show through them. He prefers keeping himself locked up behind his grey cage and keeps most of himself there. Safe, soundless and emotionless.

Because storms are dangerous. And they definitely shouldn't hit other equally as wild storms, or endanger other dearly beloveds. But sometimes he did collide with the storm of Katniss Everdeen, which just resulted in more wind and breaking.

But when his clouds strolls across blue skies, things become so much more bearable.

**o12. Bronze [her arrow] **

Katniss's favourite arrow was one her father had made for her, so long ago that the thing had more memories embedded into it than she could care to recall. It was mainly wood, but there was a tip made from bronze that glimmered ever so slighty when she fired it through the air. Quiet and deadly and hers.

Of course, whatever creature was in its path died. Usually swiftly and painlessly, sometimes with a bit more effort.

And she'd smile to herself and know that she just killed a meal, received valuable trading stock, or just improved on her shooting.

**013. Silver [her weapon] **

Johanna Mason knew what it felt like to sink a blade into someone's heaving chest, watching blood spurt and arc through the air while she could only think; '_One step closer to Victory_.'

That was all it was to her, really. Winning. She didn't stop to think about a family would mourn and sob – she couldn't care.

(Honestly, survival beats humanity.)

When that blade sank into a chest of a new victim, she'd watch it glint. Sometimes it would be a dull flash, caked with some other tribute's blood, sometimes it would glow in moonlight or dazzle in sunshine.

**014. Gold [his heart] **

When Gale finally realised that no, he did_ not_ have a chance with Katniss Everdeen, his heart turned to gold. He read about the metal in school; it's now practically nonexistent these days, but it used to be incredibly heavy, conductive, and pretty to look at.

Just like his heart. It felt like it was going to slide down and fall out of his butt. It was cold in his chest, so frosty that it burnt the surrounding muscles and threatened his lungs.

And it was pretty, but not something anyone would want to try and pick up or hold.

**o15. Rainbow [A promise]**

Her mom had told her an ancient story about a rainbow. She said it went back for thousands and thousands of years – before Panem existed, before North America did. And to five year old Katniss, _nothing _was older than North American civilization.

'They once said that a rainbow was a promise that people wouldn't be killed,' her mom told her when Katniss excitedly pointed out a rainbow.

She saw the look on her daughter's face and sighed. 'It was a silly old tale; I don't think anyone believed it. But they are beautiful, aren't they?'

She had to agree.


End file.
